By Rai Chowdhary

First published July 16th. 2012, last updated April 9th. 2020

Wow! Almost 8 years have gone by since I visited this page. Love to report that my gout is better than ever – very few attacks and far in between. Even if there is an attack, it is rather mild – feels so good to be completely medication free.  So what is my secret?

Regimen of daily exercise and diet control continues. Over the years I have more or less switched to a vegetarian diet – and a smoothie with berries just about every day.

Potentially another discovery

Along the way I also noticed that the elastic band in my socks would leave its mark as a small depression around the lower leg; to me, this was indicative of potentially reduced circulation to the ankle and toes.  Why do I believe this could be a contributory factor?

Well – gout essentially occurs due to crystallization of uric acid that form in the joints. Crystallization can easily occur when fluid flow is minimal to none. As such – the combination of exercise and socks with loose bands might promote better circulation to the lower extremities, thereby reducing the chances of crystal formation.

Proving this will require a controlled experiment – which I might do at some point; and if that happens – I will post an update again.

Meanwhile – if you would like to discuss further or exchange ideas – feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and drop me a note.

Thanks for reading – and wishing you a gout free life!

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Original post from July 16 2012

Background

I have had several attacks of gout over the last few decades, however about 5 to 6 years ago, I embarked on a regimen of diet, exercise, and careful monitoring of the symptoms. Once the symptoms started showing up, I have aggressively gone after certain steps that have kept me away from medications and helped manage the attacks with minimal effort. I will share these below, and trust you will get some benefit from the same.

Symptoms

In my case the gout attack used to begin with pain in the ankle, and it used to be excruciating. Initially, not knowing what it was, I used to try and suppress the pain by using over the counter pain killers. It was of little help. My doctor put me on Indomethicin, however it would make me dizzy during the day. This continued for a while, then a few years later, the symptoms would manifest as pain in the big toe.  Gradually, I learned through trial and error what foods were trigger causes, and what steps I could take to reduce the severity of the attack. Eventually I came to recognize the symptoms of an impending attack, and how to aggressively counter the same.

Steps I now take at the first evidence of symptoms

As soon as I sense the onset of a gout attack (pain in the big toe or ankle with a slight feeling of swelling / tightness) double my intake of water, coupled with a high intake of berries or berry juices. This is accompanied by an immediate diet change where I go on  a low protein foods.